Marshall Maxwell
"I can't seem to remember them. I guess I never met them." -- Hellhound when asked by Frostbyte about his parents Marshall Alexander Maxwell, better known by his Cerberus moniker Hellhound, is a member of the Cerberus Special Operations program, though not of the Director's Unit. He is the genetic clone of Aaron Spyker, the product of a research project kept from the eyes of essentially all members of the organization. He was best known by his colleagues in Special Operations for his all-black Cerberus combat uniform, branded with the image of a hellhound on its visor. However, due to his special status, he has received an upgrade to Ares, a heavy combat uniform created specifically for him. In 2026, he successfully took command of the Director's Unit in Aaron Spyker's absence, and began combating the Blood Plague in Rome, Italy. Despite becoming infected with it and nearly perishing due to its effects, the disease was successfully cured due to his efforts. Later, he rose to the position of Director after Aaron Spyker resigned in order to run Isokrates, and promoted him to such. Physiology Marshall Maxwell resembles a much younger Director Aaron Spyker almost perfectly due to his unique relationship with the man. Despite this, Hellhound actually stands several inches taller than the Director at 6'6", towering over many of his fellow operators. To match this, he has a muscled physique, complimenting his tall height with strength far beyond that of his genetic base. Mimicking the appearance of the Director in his youth, Marshall has jet black hair and the same grey eyes. Despite not sharing the missing eye problem with his genetic base, Hellhound still, for whatever reason, has a scar across his left eye. That appears to be the only scar that the two have in common, however, as he has plenty of his own, which have been obtained in the numerous operations he has partaken in. He does not appear to bear any injuries that the Director has encountered over the years, either. Biography Creation At the height of the organization's fame and power in late 2020, Director Rook Bowman and Deputy Director Aaron Spyker began discussing the possibilities and implications a project involving genetic mutation and even replication could involve. As a simple test of Cerberus' knowledge and potential in the field, the two instructed the research and development division to begin research on such -- the beginnings of the Cerberus Artificial Genetic Reproduction (CAGR) project. The Director and Deputy Director oversaw the progress of the project along with the Head Researcher at the time; large gains were made in a very short amount of time, allowing the first fully functional and successful clone, using the Deputy Director's genes, to be 'born' in early 2021 -- Marshall. Conditioning Though only 'born' in March of 2021, Marshall Maxwell was never truly a child. Subject to experimental rapid growth procedures, he took on his current adult appearance only a few months into his life, essentially bypassing everything but adulthood. From the very moment he could function as a mature human being, many parts of Hellhound's person were altered and tampered with in order to condition him for combat and social situations; memories, fabricated by the researchers working on the project, provide him with the information he needs to excel in both. These memories include all training necessary for the Cerberus Special Operations program, information about a false past -- which allows him to get by in social scenarios -- as well as anything else he may need to blend in as a normal human. Despite all of this, Maxwell is fully aware of his true origins, though he has been trusted to use his memories accordingly. Personality Marshall Maxwell's personality is comparable to that of his genetic base's, though over the years he has begun to develop one of his own. In almost all situations, Maxwell is a protective, caring individual who values getting the job done in an effective and responsible manner above all else. He tends to watch out for those he works with, especially those which he has an emotional connection to, such as Ashley Gates. Unlike Aaron, Marshall is much more open about his emotions, despite having 'gone through' the very same experiences. In a professional scenario, Maxwell mimics his genetic base almost completely. Utilizing intimidation as well as diplomacy in the correct situations, he tends to walk the line between Spyker's 'professional personality' of both his earlier years and his later years. Arsenal Combat Uniform Ares Personally named by Marshall himself, Ares is a dark grey -- sometimes interpreted as black -- Cerberus combat uniform custom made for its user. Due to the unusual height of its primary operator, it was constructed with him in mind specifically. Equipped with heavy armor, the suit can withstand many blows that a usual combat uniform could not. This, however, does not impede its agility; Ares comes with a multi-directional jet-booster on its rear, allowing the operator to dash in any direction for a few seconds, allowing it great mobility. Without its booster, the suit is particularly heavy and slow, though its speed can be enhanced by driving power to its exoskeletal limbs in its legs. Primary Weapons Custom Cerberus Heavy Machine Gun Based off the chassis of an M60 heavy machine gun, Maxwell's custom primary weapon of choice boasts considerably firepower along with a large amount of ammunition. The type of round fired is able to be modified, ranging from 7.62 NATO rounds to armor-piercing rounds suited for taking down opponents with combat uniforms of their own. However, the round-changing process is quite cumbersome and can take up precious time, so it is best for its controller to do so out of combat and only when absolutely necessary. Marshall is generally seen sporting its basic rounds, as he finds their dynamic nature to be extremely useful in almost any situation. C19 Shotgun Hellhound's C19 is an innovation in shotgun technology. Developed in cooperation with the research and development division, the weapon allows for superior firepower while reducing recoil to a very controllable state. When fired, the weapon uses its own kinetic energy to keep itself stable using devices created by research and development. Though Marshall was the first receiver of this weapon, it has been since distributed to other Cerberus personnel. Notes Despite the best efforts of the research and development team to date, Marshall appears to still be aging at a faster rate than a normal human being even after the aging agent was deactivated. Though the speed of such is significantly slower than it was initially -- especially when he was being grown into an adult -- it poses no immediate threat. Research and development continues to monitor the growth and hopes to one day return it to a normal speed. For unknown reasons, it appears as if Marshall, despite the fact that he is no longer under the effects of the growth stimulant, continues to grow taller, albeit at a very slow rate. While he started at around six foot three inches tall, he currently stands at six foot six inches. The research and development team does not see this as much of a threat either, though it continues to be monitored. Category:Characters